The three worlds of acclaimed film and spot director Michel Gondry are explored in this latest spot for the HP Pavilion Ent. PC laptop via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Directed with affection and wit by his brother, Olivier Gondry, MICHEL GONDRY combines film, animation and vfx.
Striking this delicate creative and technical balance is Santa Monica-based Eight VFX, a frequent collaborator with Olivier Gondry (Chevy, American Eagle), and a shop whose recent credits include projects for Pepsi, Scion, Guinness and MS Zune. Eight also contributed the vfx for the first spot in the new HP campaign (VERA WANG), and PETRA NEMCOVA, breaking soon.
For Eight, MICHEL GONDRY presented an opportunity to demonstrate that it can employ any effects technique. âMichel is a dreamer, and in his films, such as THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP, for example, he likes to shift perspective for the audience, using various techniques,â explained Eight vfx supervisor Jean-Marc Demmer. âThis spot reflects the many facets of this filmmaker in the same way.â
Demmer noted that the spot also represents complicity between the two gifted brothers. âOlivier understands his brother, whoâs been dreaming like this since he was a little kid, and it was an opportunity for him to put Michelâs unique personality up on the screen.â
Demmer said that both directors enjoy playing with perspective. âThis is a common point for both Olivier and Michelâ¦the techniques are just a means to an end,â he said.
According to Eight exec producer Baptiste Andrieux, the technique of character animation is one his artists have had opportunity to develop of late. The company recently did character animation and effects on the acclaimed HAMMER spot for Scion xB, and âwith the level of character animation in MICHEL, this is maturing as a technique for us,â he explained.
Andrieux added that Eight worked extensively on the look of the CG for this spot. For example, one scene has Michel drumming in his bedroom; the space becomes CG-animated, and then stop-motion animated. âWe worked very closely with Olivier to establish the CG environment,â he said, âand with Cat Solen of Partizan, who was responsible for most of the stop motion.â
Eightâs Jann Mallard designed the end tag in which Michel Gondryâs three âpersonalitiesâ wind up together, sharing a bed and ready for a night of imagination. âFor me, itâs a lovely moment, these things living on the screen to form a complete picture,â Mallard said. âStylistically and metaphorically these three facets are at peace.â
Eight VFX credits include:
* Exec producer: Baptiste Andrieux* Producer: Marsi Frey* VFX supervisor/inferno artist: Jean-Marc Demmer* Inferno artists: Ryan Yoshimoto, Stefan Gaillot, Nicolas Cadorette Vigneau, Amalia Luyet-McMahan* 2D artists: Amalia Luyet-McMahan, Randy Little, Joe Chiao, DJ Fitsimmons* 3D supervisor: Fredric Hopp* 3D artists: Scott Metzger, Chien-I Kao, Matthias Jourdes* On set supervisor: Jean-Marc Demmer* End title: Yann Mallard
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
